A lesson in love (12th Doctor semi romantic story)
by TheMouseyWriter
Summary: The Doctor has just gone through his transition from Eleven to Twelve; he and his long time companion, Karana Brooke, have a few complaints about one another to start. (Alt beginning! Set where, instead of Clara, Karana was, in a way, the impossible girl, and she was with the Doctor in between 11 and 12)
1. Chapter 1: Ruffled feathers

"What day is it?" The Doctor asked his shell shocked companion Karana, with his new face.

In complete disbelief, she turned from him and looked back, somewhat hoping that he'd return to the Doctor she knew. That it was just her mind playing tricks on her. It wasn't. "Um, hello?" He called. Karana turned slowly. "Yes, the date, please." He said in the most sardonic feeling manner.

"I don't know what day it is." She said back harshly. The Doctor clicked his tongue and threw his hand down at her.

"Then what are you here for? Aren't I meant to be doing this alone? You know, sailing the universe haplessly until something good happens."

"I'm here," She walked to the other side of the Tardis console to retrieve her coat. "Because you wanted me here. Well, not this you, but you-you."

"Are you serious? Why would I want you here? You're all sass."

"You know, I don't know." She scoffed and headed towards the doors. Before she could pull them open, the Doctor ran over to her and turned her by her shoulders. "What?" He feigned a laugh.

"Well, Martha. It's Martha, isn't it? No. Donna, then?" He sounded genuinely confused.

"Ana, Doctor. It's Karana. Am I even supposed to believe that you're the Doctor- my Doctor? Am I supposed to believe that you'd just change your face and replace what I know and love with indecency? As if the real Doctor would treat me like this? Forget everything about me, only to use me like a watch?"

"Well, yes, but no. Not _your_ Doctor. **The** Doctor. And I did just change my face, and everything else about me. 'Your Doctor' was old. He needed replacing, and firstly, dear, I didn't do this," he gestured to himself. "For you. I did it for me. Now, I might not know why at the time, but I know that I'm not him. I'll never be him again, if it pleases you to hear me say it."

"No. You'll never be him again. All the more reason for me to be gone, and out of your hair. Whatever hair you have left." She turned back towards the door, only to be grabbed again.

"Secondly, dear, you might not want to wander too far outside. We're actually floating in a-" She swung open the doors only to be greeted by the overwhelming emptiness of the void of space. She dropped her arms and sat on the lip of the entrance.

"You might want to learn how to take a warning before you fall into space and get lost somewhere."

"Just take me home, 'Doctor'." She said, not even bothering to turn and look at the Doctor who'd betrayed her.

"What's that? The thing you just did. Why'd you say my name like there's something wrong with your tongue?"

"There's nothing wrong with my tongue. There's something wrong with you. And it's not like the other times. I can't just fix it. Fix you." She admitted, on the brink of tears. She was seriously going to miss this. The boundless feeling of being able to go anywhere and everywhere. But she hated this new Doctor, and after loving the old one and losing him, she couldn't stay here.

The Doctor looked around her head to see her trying to hold back the tears. He made several gestures of annoyance before figuring that he should ask if she were alright.

"Are you-"

"Take me home, I said." She spoke loudly, tears escaping their watery prisons. The Doctor immediately shut his mouth and walked over to the console.

"Sure." He agreed faintly. He allowed her a few moments more to bask in the emptiness and irregularity of space, before he informed her that she needed to shut the Tardis doors.

Karana did as he said without a single word. A single glance. The Doctor pulled levers and pressed buttons until the Tardis landed. Without hesitation, she opened the ship's doors and said goodbye, to which she purred. And she walked right out. Leaving her behind, and more devastatingly, leaving the Doctor behind. He'd made up his mind when he made the turn, and it was up to her to understand from that moment. She keyed the door to her apartment and let herself in. Once in, she collapsed, back against the door. This was it. She heard the sound of the Tardis drifting farther and farther away, until it was gone.


	2. Chapter 2: Ruffled feathers (part 2)

"You were too good for him anyways. Who does that? Just changes up on you with no warning?" Your best friend, Liz went on. It had been almost a month and your patience with normal life was already running out. You called Liz over to have something- anything to do other than focus on the fact that after you left the life you led with him, you couldn't just pack up and live like a normal human. After alot of persuasion, you came to the conclusion that she needed to know-vaguely- what happened with the Doctor. In a way, it did you a tremendous amount of good to have a third party to your situation. A fresh perspective, telling you how you could be right about him. You needed to be able to blame him for the fact that you left, although it was actually your fault. You told him yourself, that you couldn't stay with him anymore. But you couldn't stay here, either.

"Well, it's really more complicated than that. But yeah. I guess you could be right." You said with a sigh and turned toward the window. It was a considerably gloomy day where you lived. Rain was pouring from the cloud mass in the sky; not a sliver of sun or even lightning could be spotted. No noise, aside from the rain. No anything, actually. Just rain.

"Ugh. You're doing it again." Liz said pointedly.

"Doing what?" You looked back at her.

"That! You're doing the thing that you do when you're so hung up over a guy that you can't do anything else."

"What? I've only ever been this dull twice. And it wasn't at all because of any guy." Liz sat up and crossed her legs.

"Well how about that?" She exclaimed, "Because I specifically recall a certain boy named Jess, another one named Ricky, a Stefan, a Steven, and a -"

"Alright! Alright! You've proved your point! And half of those are from when I was like ten! Give me a break." You cut her off.

"The same moodiness applies. Look, do not let him do this to you. Sure, you walked out, so it's kinda you're fault, but hey." She said jokingly. "If he didn't deserve you, he didn't deserve you, and you were right to try and move on." She tried to convince you.

"Yeah..." You thought to yourself before becoming distracted by a familiar sound. A wheezing sound. An undeniably specific sound.

"Oh, man. What's that noise?" Liz covered her ears while scrunching up her face. "Someone should have their brakes checked."

"Wait." You hopped up and ran over to the window. Sure enough, and just as you suspected, stood the Tardis, on the street corner closest to your apartment.

"What?" Liz ran up to you and looked out of the window. "Ugh, what's that? When'd they put that there?"

You faced her and took a deep breath. He was here. This was your chance. You hated the new Doctor with a furious passion, but you needed to know more than the thin white walls and dull, black pavement of humanity. You needed to know the truth, and you needed to know freedom.

"He's here, Liz." You said with what almost seemed like joy. "I'll be back." You turned to race to the door.

"Wait, that's a joke, right? How do you know he's here from looking at that weird blue thing? Why are you running for him?" Liz, at your heels, inquired. You dashed towards the door knob, not minding Liz and her 20 billion questions. He came to you. In this moment, nothing else mattered.

Just as one knock on your door sounded, you swung it open to see the Doctor standing there, hand raised and poised to make another knock. His jaw dropped in shock, as did yours when you realized that, in his other hand, he held a bouquet of flowers.

"Yes? No, we don't want any. Sorry." Liz slammed the door in the Doctor's face. She sighed and faced you. "Talk about bad timing."

"Liz!" You shouted, uncontrollably. "Why did you do that?" You, for a moment, had forgotten that Liz had never seen the Doctor before, and would be beyond surprised that you were tearing yourself up over someone who looked old enough to be your grandfather. In truth, he was actually old enough to be older than your oldest ancestor, but it was worse that he now looked it.

"What's up with you?" She asked offensively. "I'm sorry for hurting his feelings, but you didn't even know him!"

You reached behind you and opened the door to reveal the Doctor, stood there with that unusual furrow in his new brow. You took a deep breath.

"Ofcourse I do. Liz, this is John..." You trailed off, trying to find an adequate excuse. " ...'s dad." You turned to the Doctor, who raised an eyebrow at your statement. You silently pleaded with him to play along. If he was still the Doctor you knew, he would know what the facial expression that you were making meant, and he would play along. Liz looked at the Doctor expectantly as it finally dawned on him how the situation had to play out.

"Right. Hi, I'm Jonathan's dad." The Doctor moved to shake Liz's hand. When he realized that he wasn't going to receive a hand shake, he retracted his hand and chuckled.

"Well... John, my son asked me if I could stop by and tell Miss (L/n) that I am- he- is quite sorry for the way that he has acted, and would like to make it up to her whenever she is ready." He informed you nervously. You smirked and crossed your arms. "May I come in?" He asked Liz, who still looked incredibly cynical of his story. She looked at you for confirmation, to which, you nodded.

"Come in, Mister Smith."


End file.
